A federal judge ruled that flood control measures taken by the Army Corps of Engineers at the Coyote Valley Dam on Lake Mendocino violated the endangered species act. Releases from the dam stir up sediment, causing the water to turn a muddy brown, increasing turbidity and harming endangered Central California coast steelhead, coho and Chinook salmon. The Corps is now engaged in drafting a new plan to manage releases in a way that mitigates impacts to the salmon.
